Atharva Veda 6.128.2: Kanda 6, Anuvaka 13, Sukta 128, Mantra 2
Sukta 128
भ॒द्रा॒हं नो॑ म॒ध्यंदि॑ने भद्रा॒हं सा॒यम॑स्तु नः । भ॒द्रा॒हं नो॒ अह्नां॑ प्रा॒ता रात्री॑ भद्रा॒हम॑स्तु नः
bhadrā́ham no madhyáṃdine bhadrā́ham sāyám astu naḥ | bhadrā́ham no ahnā́ṃ prātā́ rā́trī bhadrā́ham astu naḥ
Auspiciousness for us at mid-day; auspiciousness in the evening be ours. Auspiciousness for us through the days—at morning, at night—auspiciousness be for us.
અમારા માટે મધ્યાહ્ને ભદ્રતા; સાંજે પણ ભદ્રતા અમારી રહે. દિવસોમાં—સવારે, રાત્રે—અમારા માટે ભદ્રતા રહે.
The meaning
What it says
Auspiciousness (Bhadrāham) is invoked for midday, evening, the succession of days, morning, and night—covering the whole temporal cycle.
The inner meaning
An anti-anxiety net over time: instead of fearing certain hours/omens, the practitioner saturates every segment with bhadra. It trains continuity of confidence and reduces temporal superstition by consecrating all intervals.
The truth in it
Wellbeing is sustained by consistency; blessing is most powerful when it becomes rhythm—returning at each turning of the day.
What it is for
- Kind of hymn
- Paustika / Śānti (Prosperity & Pacification)
Its aim
To secure continuous auspiciousness and protection across the entire day-night cycle for the community/realm.
Word by Word
Pada patha
भद्र-अहम् । नः । मध्यम्-दिने । भद्र-अहम् । सायम् । अस्तु । नः । भद्र-अहम् । नः । अह्नाम् । प्राता । रात्री । भद्र-अहम् । अस्तु । नः
- भद्रा
- auspicious, fortunateAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (विधेय-विशेषणम्; ‘अस्तु’ इत्यस्य)Root भद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- अहं
- IPronounप्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (अस्तु इत्यस्य)Root अहम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- नः
- for us / ourfor us/our (community-inclusive blessing)Pronounषष्ठी, बहुवचन (एन्क्लिटिक)Role सम्बन्ध (genitive: ‘for us/our’)Root अस्मद् (सर्वनाम)
- मध्यम्
- middayNoun (time-expression)नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनRole अधिकरण (काल-अधिकरण; ‘at midday’)Root मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
- दिने
- in the dayNounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचनRole अधिकरण (काल-अधिकरण)Root दिन (प्रातिपदिक)
- भद्रा
- auspiciousAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (विधेय-विशेषणम्)Root भद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- अहं
- IPronounप्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot अहम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- सायम्
- in the eveningIndeclinableकालवाचक-अव्ययम्Role अधिकरण (काल-अधिकरण; ‘in the evening’)Root सायम् (अव्यय)
- अस्तु
- may (it) belet it be (benedictive imperative/optative)Verbलोट् (आशीर्लिङ्/आज्ञार्थ), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot अस् (धातु)
- नः
- for us / ourfor usPronounषष्ठी, बहुवचन (एन्क्लिटिक)Role सम्बन्धRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम)
- भद्रा
- auspiciousAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (विधेय-विशेषणम्)Root भद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- अहं
- IPronounप्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot अहम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- नः
- for us / ourfor usPronounषष्ठी, बहुवचन (एन्क्लिटिक)Role सम्बन्धRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम)
- अह्नाम्
- of the daysof the days / through the days (temporal totality)Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचनRole सम्बन्ध (genitive: ‘of the days’)Root अहन् (प्रातिपदिक)
- प्रातः
- in the morningIndeclinableकालवाचक-अव्ययम्Role अधिकरण (काल-अधिकरण; ‘in the morning’)Root प्रातः (अव्यय)
- रात्री
- nightNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (समुच्चित-कर्तृ; ‘(and) night’)Root रात्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
- भद्रा
- auspiciousAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृ (विधेय-विशेषणम्)Root भद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
- अहम्
- IPronounप्रथमा, एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot अहम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अस्तु
- may (it) belet it beVerbलोट् (आशीर्लिङ्/आज्ञार्थ), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनRole क्रियाRoot अस् (धातु)
- नः
- for us / ourfor usPronounषष्ठी, बहुवचन (एन्क्लिटिक)Role सम्बन्धRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम)
Sandhi Notes
- भ॒द्रा॒हं → भद्रा + अहं (आ + अ → आ; दीर्घसन्धि)
- म॒ध्यंदि॑ने → मध्यम् + दिने (म् + द → ंद; अनुस्वार-परसवर्ण/व्यञ्जनसन्धि)
- सा॒यम॑स्तु → सायम् + अस्तु (म् + अ → म; सन्ध्यभावः/विरामः)
- नो॒ अह्नां॑ → नः + अह्नाम् (विसर्गस्य लोपः/एन्क्लिटिक-रूप ‘नः’)
- प्रा॒ता रात्री॑ → प्रातः + रात्री (विसर्गलोपः पदान्ते; संहितायां)
- भद्रा॒हम॑स्तु → भद्रा + अहम् + अस्तु (आ + अ → आ; तथा अहम् + अस्तु इत्यत्र संहितायां ‘अहमस्तु’)
Seer, deity and metre
- Rishi
- Atharvanic tradition
- Devata
- Bhadrāham (Auspiciousness), Time (day/night divisions) as functional deities
- Chandas
- Likely Anuṣṭubh, pending syllable audit
- Rasa
- Shanta
Sayana reads the repeated ‘bhadrāham’ as a protective temporal net cast over the full diurnal cycle. The mantra is a generalized benediction ensuring that no inauspicious breach occurs at transitional times (morning/evening/night) or at the day’s center (midday). Repetition is itself the ritual technology of stabilization.
An Atharvanic benediction seer
Śānti-paustika: time-protection, daily-cycle blessings, community wellbeing through repetitive formulae.
Shows Atharvanic mastery of ‘temporal magic’: dividing time into named nodes and sealing each with auspicious speech.
Bhadrāham with Time-divisions (day/night nodes)
Permeates the diurnal cycle; turns transitions into protected thresholds.
Indirect: reduces fear/stress, supports restorative sleep and daily regulation.
Guards liminal hours (morning/evening/night) traditionally associated with vulnerability.
4 pādas of ~8 syllables with repetitive opening ‘bhadrāham no…’ creating strong refrain structure.
Refrain-based anuṣṭubh used as a ‘daily seal’; repetition is the metrical engine more than strict phonetic symmetry.
Lulling, cyclical, mantra-like; ideal for regular japa.
Installs a sense of continuous coverage—no temporal ‘gaps’ for misfortune.
Recite at key temporal junctures (dawn, midday, evening, nightfall) or in a single rite that ritually ‘covers’ them.
Optionally accompany with sprinkling (prokṣaṇa) of water around household/royal space to mark protected boundaries.
Repeat ‘bhadrāham’ as japa to intensify the protective field.
Close with communal assent and, in royal context, reaffirmation of rāṣṭra-stability.
Kauśika Sūtra: śānti and rāṣṭra-protection recitations distributed over times of day; AV 6.128.2 used as all-day auspiciousness formula.
Brahman/Atharvan as śānti-priest: maintains temporal protection through scheduled recitation and boundary-marking acts.
Recite at morning and evening; optionally at midday and before sleep, as a household śānti.
prātah, madhyāhna, sāyam, and before sleep/nightfall.
Householder can perform; no specialist required.
Used as a daily affirmation tied to routine anchors (tea/water, lighting lamp, bedtime).
time-segmentation (morning/midday/evening/night) as ritual grid; repetition (japa) as stabilizing technique
The ‘substance’ is repetition across time: the mantra becomes a protective schedule, turning routine into talisman.
Stress, fear of inauspicious times, sleep disturbance (by functional reading).
Pacification through temporal consecration; repetitive reassurance stabilizes circadian mind-body rhythm.
Supports dinacaryā (daily regimen) ethos; calming vata through regularity and śānti.
Stress management, sleep hygiene ritual, grounding routine across day phases.
To secure uninterrupted auspiciousness and protection throughout the entire day-night cycle.
Time-segmentation + refrain-japa; sealing each node with identical benediction.
inauspicious omens, accidents at transitions, night-fears, instability of fortune.
general wellbeing, household peace, success in daily undertakings.
- भद्राहम् (bhadrāham)
- a protective field; affirmative fortune that can be ‘installed’ in time
- मध्यम्दिन (madhyaṃdina)
- peak of heat/activity—need for steadiness and right action
- सायम् (sāyam)
- transition; vulnerability; return and closure
- प्राता (prātā)
- renewal; beginning; recalibration
- रात्री (rātrī)
- unknown/hidden; sleep; protection of the unconscious
Continuity of auspicious awareness through the day’s quarters.
Box breathing (4-4-4-4) at the four time nodes; one cycle per pāda.
A golden band of light encircling the day like a clock-face; each quarter lights up as the verse names it.
Gentle vigilance without strain.
Link recitation to consistent cues (sunrise, meals, sunset, bedtime) to make protection habitual rather than occasional.
Even, refrain-forward; keep identical melodic contour for each ‘bhadrāham no…’ to emphasize continuity.
Do not rush compounds: madhyaṃ-dine; keep clear separation of prātā / rātrī.
Soft, steady, lullaby-like; suitable before sleep.
Repetition is the charm: multiples of 3 or 9 suit śānti; optionally recite at each time node named.
9 times
Daily protection, anxiety about timing/omens, establishing a stable routine, before travel across day phases.
Morning on waking, midday pause, evening return, and at bedtime.
Calmer mood, steadier routine, sense of protected transitions.
If anxiety is severe or sleep is chronically impaired, seek professional support; use mantra as adjunct.
Here the operative ‘substance’ is not botanical but temporal: auspiciousness is distributed across time-slices. The mantra functions as a calendrical/diurnal technology, analogous to how herbs distribute healing across bodily loci in medical hymns.
The community’s well-being is maintained by priestly management of time through scheduled speech. This implies a social order in which ritual specialists regulate auspiciousness not only for individuals but for collective life (household, village, realm).
The formulaic repetition and explicit diurnal coverage resemble later Vedic śānti idiom more than RV hymnody. The mantra is closer to a liturgical refrain than to narrative praise.
Gopatha’s Atharvanic perspective treats śānti as a real force produced by correct utterance. By mapping auspiciousness onto the full day-night cycle, the mantra aligns human time with ordered brahman, preventing inauspicious intrusions.
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